ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) on Tuesday filed a reference in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against Chief Election Commissioner, accusing him of being biased in conduct and sought his dismissal from the office.
Talking to media outside the Supreme Court of Pakistan, PTI Senator Ejaz Chaudhry presented an entire charge sheet against Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Sikandar Raja, saying “we owed a debt to the nation, which has been paid back today.”
He said there had been an open bazar for the sale and purchase of member of assemblies, but the Chief Election Commissioner remained dead silent.
Senator Ejaz Chaudhry said when Qasim Suri accepted resignations, tendered by the PTI MNAs, and forwarded them to the Chief Election Commissioner, he didn’t take any action and remained asleep.
He disclosed that the audio of Shehbaz Sharif, surfaced recently, had also been submitted with the reference so as to establish as to how resignations of PTI MNAs were accepted with the approval of a court convict.
Speaking on this occasion, PTI leader Maleeka Bokhari said despite court orders, the CEC didn’t give verdict about other political parties including PMLN and PPP in prohibited funding case, and remained biased in releasing verdicts against Pakistah Tehreek-e-Insaaf.
He said at a time when [Asif] Zardari was pushing forward his nefarious political agenda, the key institution of ECP remained asleep and the CEC failed to play his constitutional role, due to which he no more deserved to remain on this post.
It is worth mentioning here that the PTI had earlier intended to file reference against the Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja in August, just two days after the Election Commission of Pakistan gave verdict in the prohibited funding case.
The reference pleaded with the SJC to order removal of the CEC on account of the “commission of continuous and deliberate misconduct”.
In the reference, PTI is reported to have alleged that the CEC has allegedly violated his oath by way of his biased conduct.
It may be recalled here that in August, former prime minister Imran Khan had tweeted that the CEC and Election Commission of Pakistan are in cahoots with the “imported” government and tried a technical knockout against PTI after Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) got routed in the Punjab by-elections despite support of state machinery and ECP shenanigans.
Imran Khan had also accused the Chief Election Commissioner of secretly meeting with leaders of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to conspire against PTI.
